Audrey Giesler receives Margaret Bradley Award

September 28, 2007

Audrey Giesler at the Westford 5K, May 2007

The Greater Boston Track Club is pleased to announce that Audrey Giesler will be the GBTC recipient of this year's Margaret Bradley award. Like Margaret, Audrey has lived in both Boston and Chicago and has represented both of Margaret's former clubs - GBTC and Chicago's Universal Sole. Audrey ran a time of 2:50:45 in her marathon debut in Chicago last year, and has been a key member of the GBTC women's road-racing squad since moving to Boston in 2006. "Like Margaret, Audrey came through for the team time and again," says GBTC coach Tom Derderian. Audrey recently returned to Chicago but will race the marathon as a GBTC member.

Margaret L. Bradley was a member of GBTC who died while on a trail run through the Grand Canyon on July 10, 2004, at the age of 24. Margaret ran the 2003 Chicago marathon in 2:58:52 and led the GBTC women's team to victory in the 2004 Boston marathon with a time of 3:04:54, finishing as 31st woman. Margaret lived in Chicago in 2003 and 2004, and while living there she competed with the Universal Sole track club.

GBTC and Universal Sole have jointly established the Margaret Bradley award in honor of Margaret. The intent of the award is to send one runner annually from GBTC to compete in the Chicago marathon and to bring one runner annually from Universal Sole to compete in the Boston marathon. The two clubs intend for the award to continue in perpetuity for the purpose of recognizing and aiding aspiring young, female marathoners who are of similar ability to that of Bradley.

The GBTC is trying to build an endowment that will enable this award to be given in perpetuity. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the endowment. For more information or to make a donation, please contact the chair of the Margaret Bradley award committee at www.gbtc.org.